Firearm ammunition with projectile housing propellant

Abstract

A firearm ammunition cartridge including a case having a substantially tubular body portion, an open leading end, and a trailing end defining a primer port, the primer port opening to an interior of the case, a projectile received and retained within the leading end of the case, and configured with a recess extending inwardly from a trailing end of the projectile to receive a quantity of gunpowder, and a quantity of compressed gunpowder provided in the recess of the projectile such that the compressed gunpowder remains in the recess at any orientation of the projectile.

Having thus described the aforementioned invention, what is claimed is: 
     
       1. A firearm ammunition cartridge comprising:
 a case having a substantially tubular body portion, an open leading end, and a trailing end defining a primer port, the primer port opening to an interior of the case; 
 a projectile received and retained within the leading end of the case, and configured with a recess extending inwardly from a trailing end of the projectile to receive a quantity of gunpowder; 
 a quantity of compressed gunpowder provided in the recess of the projectile such that the compressed gunpowder remains in the recess at any orientation of the projectile; and 
 an insert received within the case and extending along the body portion, the insert having a central cavity extending along a longitudinal axis of the insert and the projectile, the central cavity opening to the primer port at the trailing end of the case and opening to the recess of the projectile; 
 wherein the central cavity is configured with a diameter substantially equal to that of the recess of the projectile. 
 
     
     
       2. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the recess of the projectile is cylindrical and shares a longitudinal axis with the projectile. 
     
     
       3. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the compressed gunpowder substantially fills the recess of the projectile. 
     
     
       4. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the recess of the projectile has a substantially same diameter as that of the primer port. 
     
     
       5. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 1 , further comprising a quantity of additional gunpowder disposed within the central cavity. 
     
     
       6. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 5 , wherein the additional gunpowder defines a volume approximately equal to a volume of the central cavity between the trailing end of the projectile and the trailing end of the case. 
     
     
       7. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the insert is configured with an exterior surface conforming to an interior surface of the body portion of the case. 
     
     
       8. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 7 , wherein the case is configured with a tapered portion between the body portion and the leading end, the exterior surface of the insert having a leading portion conforming to an interior surface of the tapered portion of the case, whereby the tapered portion retains the insert within the case between the tapered portion and the trailing end of the case. 
     
     
       9. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the insert is configured such that the trailing end of the projectile is received within a leading portion of the insert. 
     
     
       10. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the insert is configured to be fixed within the case. 
     
     
       11. A firearm ammunition cartridge comprising:
 a case having a substantially tubular body portion, an open leading end, and a trailing end defining a primer port, the primer port opening to an interior of the case; 
 a projectile received and retained within the leading end of the case, and configured with a recess extending inwardly from a trailing end of the projectile to receive a quantity of gunpowder; 
 a quantity of compressed gunpowder provided in the recess of the projectile such that the compressed gunpowder remains in the recess at any orientation of the projectile; and 
 a stand tube configured to extend from the primer port to the trailing end of the projectile such that the stand tube forms a flame port between the primer port and projectile; 
 wherein an inner diameter of the stand tube is configured to have a substantially same diameter as the recess of the projectile. 
 
     
     
       12. The firearm ammunition cartridge of  claim 11 , wherein the stand tube shares a longitudinal axis with the recess of the projectile. 
     
     
       13. A firearm ammunition cartridge comprising:
 a case having a substantially tubular body portion, an open leading end, and a trailing end defining a primer port, the primer port opening to an interior of the case; 
 a projectile received and retained within the leading end of the case, and configured with a recess extending inwardly from a trailing end of the projectile to receive a quantity of gunpowder; and 
 a quantity of compressed gunpowder provided in the recess of the projectile such that the compressed gunpowder remains in the recess at any orientation of the projectile; 
 wherein the case is configured with walls sufficiently thick such that the primer port extends from the trailing end of the case to the trailing end of the projectile; and 
 wherein the primer port has a substantially same diameter as that of the recess of the projectile.